


Graduation Day

by hyacintholuscos



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Carmilla Extended Universe, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 01:41:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3510431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyacintholuscos/pseuds/hyacintholuscos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla and Laura get to celebrate a big day. Set WAY in the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Graduation Day

"Carm, if you don’t hurry up, we’re going to be late," Laura said, looking at her own reflection in the mirror above their dresser. Carmilla made some low response from the bathroom that Laura didn’t quite catch. Laura studied her own reflection for a while longer.

There were fine lines by her eyes now, and her hair was lightening slightly with the grey hairs that were beginning to make their appearance on her head. She could feel how different she was from the 19 year old girl she had been when she met Carmilla, feel it even more when she had the evidence right in front of her.

Carmilla came out of the bathroom behind her, and Laura studied her in the mirror. It still amazed her that Carmilla was  _hers._ Not that she believed in claiming people, of course, but they had been together so long now… It was incredible to her.

They had been through hell, of course, and there had been moments, brief and infrequent, when it had seemed like they wouldn’t be able to make it. But here they were, 25 years of marriage later, and Carmilla was there, and Laura was so happy.

"Everything okay, cupcake?" Carmilla asked with a raised eyebrow, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her. Laura felt the strength in her arms through her sweater and blouse, and she leaned back against her wife, closing her eyes for a moment. When she looked at the two of them in the mirror, she couldn’t help grinning.

Not even two years into their marriage, LaF had figured out a way to reverse the vampire process without killing her, and Carmilla had jumped at the prospect. So while she did look younger than Laura, she had aged over the intervening years, grey hairs just beginning to creep into her dark hair and lending an additional air of distinction to her.  
Standing together like that, Laura couldn’t help but remember other times when they had stood like this, Carmilla’s chin resting on her shoulder. The day that Laura had found out that she was pregnant, the night after their wedding, the morning they graduated from Silas, the morning before she started at the paper…. really, most mornings they had this kind of moment, and most nights.

Carmilla kissed the back of her neck lightly. “Weren’t you just saying that we need to hurry or we’re going to be late?” Laura laughed at the smirk on her wife’s face.

"Yes. Hollie will murder  _you_ for Christmas if we’re late for her graduation.” Carmilla laughed, stepping back from Laura and checking her outfit. Slacks and a button up blouse, black and white. She smoothed the shirt and ran one hand through her hair again.

Laura turned around and leaned against the dresser. She never got tired of looking at Carmilla, and couldn’t even count the number of photos she had taken over the years.

"Okay, Laura. Let’s get going, or your daughter will  _actually_ kill me.”

"My daughter?" Laura asked, following Carmilla out of their bedroom and down the steps.

"Yes. She’s your daughter when she might be killing somebody. She’s  _our_ daughter the rest of the time.”

Laura grinned, shaking her head. “Something tells me I don’t want to hear your logic on that one.”

"Probably not," Carmilla agreed easily, holding the front door open for her wife, and then rushing to get the passenger door open for her before she reached the car. Laura rolled her eyes.

"Clearly, chivalry isn’t dead."

"Never," Carmilla said with one of her winning smiles. Laura stepped up and kissed her lightly, hugging her for a moment.

"Thank you."

Carmilla waited for her to get in before closing the door and going around to the driver’s side, pulling out of their driveway only half a minute later. They  _weren’t_ going to be late for their daughter’s graduation from university. Not if she had any control over it.

***

For the millionth time over the years, Carmilla thanked God for Perry and LaFontaine. They had arrived a little before Carmilla and Laura, and they were able save them seats really close to the front. Perry had also been really prepared and so there were two video cameras and another camera just for photos sitting in her purse. Laura offered to take one of the cameras, and the other three immediately yelled, “No!”

LaF explained for all of them. “Laura, today is a day for you to just experience, for a change. Leave the documentation to me and Perry. You and Carmilla can just celebrate, and live in the moment. We’ll make sure you can keep reliving it.”

Carmilla wasn’t surprised when Perry shot her a glare when she looked like she was going to grab one of the cameras to help. It had taken a while, but she was now as close with Perry as Laura was with LaF.

"Thank you," Carmilla said, feeling from the tense set of Laura’s shoulders that she was getting ready to argue. She grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers. "Of course, we’ll do the same for you with Sam next year."

"You don’t have to do that," Perry started, but LaF cut her off.

"Count on it. It’s the whole reason that we are doing this, after all," they added, winking.

They kept speaking quietly among themselves, updating each other on their kids (“Sam is nearly done with their chemistry major.” “I still think we should have pushed them harder on Bio.” “LaF, it’s been  _three years.”_  “Hollie has a student teaching job lined up next year in New York.”), and making plans to go to dinner later this week.

The speakers were boring, as they nearly always were at these things. Carmilla let her attention wander, and studied the small group of graduation caps in front of them (Hollie had been  _adamant_ that they come to the College of Teaching graduation and not the whole university graduation, and Carmilla was grateful). The small crowd of students meant that they had been able to get closer to the stage, and she could easily pick out her daughter’s black hair in the group, spilling out in lazy curls just like Carmilla’s own from under the cap.

Like she could sense her mother’s eyes, she turned around, and Carmilla grinned. Hollie had gotten both of their best features; Laura’s brown eyes and Carmilla’s eyebrows; Laura’s lips with Carmilla’s jawline, and Carmilla’s nose but Laura’s cheekbones. She was stunning, and she knew it.

She waved a little, and Carmilla waved back, then nudged Laura and pointed out their daughter, who waved again. Laura was grinning, and waved enough for the parents around her to give her hard looks. Carmilla gave each of them a cool look, and they immediately went back to focusing on the speaker. She might not have been a vampire for years, but she still knew how to pull off the cold look better than anyone. Hollie blushed and rolled her eyes, but she was grinning just as wide as Laura as she turned back around.

"We did good, Laura," Carmilla said, kissing her cheek.

"You bet your ass we did, Carm. Look at her," Laura added, leaning her head against Carmilla’s shoulder. "She’s  _graduating._ And she’s graduating from a school where she  _didn’t_ have to vanquish some Sumerian God in order to make it through.”

Carmilla laughed. “You know, with as much as you complain about Silas,  _I_ sure enjoyed it there. I mean, if it hadn’t been for Lophiiformes and Maman, I never would have met you. And if not for Silas assigning me as your roommate, we  _definitely_ wouldn’t be here today.”

Laura smiled and in true Laura fashion, picked up Carmilla’s hand and played with her fingers. “You make very good points there, Carmilla. But keep in mind that with a destiny like ours? We would have found each other somehow. I don’t doubt that for a second.”

 _Neither do I, cupcake,_ Carmilla thought. Up until she had met Laura, she hadn’t believed in destiny. She hadn’t believed in soulmates or this idea that there was one person who could become your everything. But she had been happy to be proven wrong.

The students started filing up around the stage, and everyone stood up. Carmilla worried for a moment that they wouldn’t be able to see, but LaF and Perry had picked perfect spots for them, where they would be able to see Hollie clearly.

Perry held the video camera and Carmilla felt herself just enjoy the moment here. They were celebrating their daughter’s day today, but it was just as much their day, she knew. That Hollie had made it here, and that she was happy and well-adjusted and had never spent a day not knowing she was loved.

When Hollie’s name was called and she walked up, Carmilla felt like her heart was going to beat its way out of her chest, and she could feel Laura next to her swelling with the same pride. Their daughter found them in the crowd and she smiled proudly, moving the tassel on her cap and posing just for a moment, all 5’2” radiating her own pride in the moment. Carmilla heard the camera click and she grinned, glad that LaF had caught that particular moment.

Of course, the rest of the afternoon seemed to fly past them all, and she only remembered it in pieces later, but she held that moment of Hollie’s pose and her pride of having achieved that close to her heart for years. And it was always one of her favourite photos of their daughter.

That night, when they got home, Laura was standing in front of the mirror again, smiling softly at her reflection, and Carmilla couldn’t help but think.

_I wouldn’t trade this for anything._


End file.
